A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a protection device comprising a piece of fabric and a module made of viscoelastic gel glued onto the piece of fabric.
Protection devices of the above-mentioned type are generally designed to protect areas of the human body, for example areas with bedsores, blisters, chaps, or to protect healthy areas against shocks, heating due to friction, etc. They are generally washable and reusable.
A traditional method for manufacturing a protection device of the above-mentioned type generally comprises the following steps:                depositing a cross-linkable compound in a mold,        cross-linking the compound to obtain a module made of viscoelastic gel,        unmolding the module,        cutting a piece of fabric,        gluing the module onto the piece of fabric, and        optionally, sewing or binding the edges of the piece of fabric, to form an orthosis which can be pulled onto the area of the body to be protected (hand, foot, arm, leg, etc.).        
This manufacturing method generally comprises manual steps, because the gelatinous texture of the modules made of viscoelastic gel renders them unfit for handling by machines. The cross-linking time of viscoelastic gels represents an additional constraint preventing large-scale manufacturing.
Some steps of this method can be streamlined as part of industrial production, for example by simultaneously producing a plurality of modules made of viscoelastic gel in molds with multiple cavities. However, automating the steps of unmolding, transporting and then gluing the modules onto the pieces of fabric remains difficult.
It can therefore be desired to provide a manufacturing method whereby the cost price of such devices can be significantly reduced, by streamlining the steps of manufacturing and gluing the modules made of viscoelastic gel onto pieces of fabric.
International applications WO 2000/71066 and WO 2007/045737 describe methods for manufacturing protection devices of the above-mentioned type. They provide for covering a strip of fabric with a layer of viscoelastic gel also in strip form. The strip of fabric is then pulled down edge to edge longitudinally, and the opposite edges are sewn or bound. The strip is then cut into sections of determined lengths to form protective sleeves for the fingers or toes, called “digitubes” (registered trademark). Such manufacturing methods thus relate specifically to the manufacturing of protective sleeves and cannot be used generally to industrially manufacture protection devices of any form.